Latch.



PATENTED MAY 21, 1907 0. J. ENGLERT.

LATCH.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 2a. 1906.

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UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFIGE.

CHARLES J. ENGLERT, OF ALLEGHENY, PENNSYLVANIA.

LATCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 21, 1907.

Application filed May 22, 1906. Serial No. 318,132.

cation, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in thumb-latches for doors, and the invention has for its object the provision of novel means for preventing a latch-lever from becoming accidentally disengaged from a door. To this end, I have devised a simple and inexpensive handle plate through the upper end of which eX- tends a latch-lever having a lug, which locks said lever in engagement with said plate. The upper end of the plate is slitted and provided with an aperture, to receive the latchlever; a Wardly to permit of said lever being dropped into position in said aperture, at which time, said plate is bent back into the same plane as the end of the handle-plate.

Referring to the drawing forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a front elevation of a portion of a improved thumb-latch, Fig. 2 is an edge view of the same illustrating an additional plate, Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of a portion of a door, illustrating my improved thumblatch in elevation, Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a handle-plate, and Fig. 5 is a similar view illustrating a modified form of handleplate.

In the accompanying drawing, I have illustrated a portion of a door 1 as having alatchever opening 2, contiguous to which a latch 3 is pivoted and movably retained in a horizontal position by a keeper 4, secured to the outer edge of the door 1.

My invention resides in a handle-plate 5,

consisting of a handle 6 and pierced end part of said plate being bent out-' door equipped with my l plates 7 and 8, which are secured to the door 1, whereby the plate 7 lies over the latch-lever opening 2, and the handle 6 assumes a l vertical position. The end plate is provided with a central opening 9 and is slitted, as at 10 to form a tongue 11, said tongue being bent outwardly to permit of a latch-lever 12 i being mounted in the openings 2 and 9. The I latch-lever besides carrying a curved handle 14 and a thumbpiece 15, is provided with a depending lug 16, which engages the bottom latch-lever 12 in the handle-plate 5, when the tongue 11 is bent into the same plane as the remainder of the handle-plate. In connection with the handle-plate 5 of Fig. 2, I have illustrated an escutcheon plate 17, which is I secured to the door 1 with the handle-plate 5. A slight modification of my improved handle-plate is shown in Fig. 5, where it will be observed that I provide said plate with a vertically disposed tongue 18, which is bent outwardly to permit of the lug 16 of the latchlever 12 passing through the opening 9 of said handle-plate, thus insuring a more solid handle-plate than the plate previously described.

In operation, the handle-plate 5 serves as a fulcrum for the latch-lever 12, to elevate the outer end of said latch 3 within the keeper 4.

What I claim and desire to secure b yLetters Patent, is

In a thumb-latch, the combination of a slitted handle-plate, having an opening in its one end, a latch lever mounted in said opening, and means to prevent said lever from becoming disengaged from said handle-plate, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affiX mysignature in the presence of two witnesses.

, CHARLES J. EN GLERT.

Witnesses:

MAX H. SROLOVITZ, E. E. POTTER.

p rear edge of the opening 9, and locks the 

